Method of removing carbon deposits from engine parts



y 1935' R. G. GERLACH 2,006,636

METHOD OF REMOVING CARBON DEPOSITS FROM ENGINE PARTS I v Filed June 30, 1954 1 lo L h a o 0 0 o v o ji" "j 2'7 J; Li 2% 24 /5 Z t 75- o 2/ 'INVENTOR flai /r26 diva/7c:

. ATTORNEY nem sis, 2,1035

uurrso STATES- PATENT orifice METHOD OF REMOVING CARBON DEPOSITS OM ENGINE PARTS Richard G. Gcrlach, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application June 30, 1934, Serial No. 733,155

2 Claim. .(CL-875)' My invention relates to a new and useful method and apparatus for removing carbon de'- posits from parts of internal combustion engines in a very thorough manner to permit close inl spection of such parts for defects and without in any way damaging or wearing out said parts.

In the operation of internal combustion engines very hard carbon deposits form on the surfaces of certain parts. such asvalves, cylinder heads, piston tops, etc., which seriously interfere with the safety and efficiency of the operation of such ensines. In the case of automobile engines it is suillcient to remove the cylinder head and scrape oil. the hard carbon by means of a chisel or other hard instrument and reassemble the engine. In airplane engines this practice is not satisfactory, .for the reason that it is necessary that the parts be absolutely and thoroughly cleaned in order to permit close and thorough inspection of parts for defects or cracks, and it has heretofore been the practice to scrape the carbon deposits by means of chisels and wire brushes and finally to sand-blast the' parts in order to remove the last traces of the carbon deposits. Due to the extreme accuracy and nicety of nt of the parts of an airplane engine; this practice is most unsatisfactory, since the scraping by means of wire brushes and the sand-blasting result in the a wearing out of the metal and alteration of the original dimensions, so that after a few cleanings of the parts according to this method some or all of the parts thus'cleaned have to be renewed at a considerable expense.

It is, therefore, the object my invention to provide a method and apparatus for removing the carbon deposits from such parts without the usev of any scraping and without the use of wire brushes or sand-blasting, thereby thor- 40 0118111? cleaning the parts and at the same time eliminating any damage to or wear of such Dl It is a. further object of my invention. to provide a novel method and apparatus for removing carbon deposits from engine parts at a greatly reduced cost in time, labor and material.

My novel method and apparatus will be more clearly understood from the following specification and accompanying drawing, in which:

l fig lrepresents a vertical sectional view of an apparatus"embodyingv my invention.

Fig. 2 represents .a'plan'gviewof Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing inwhich-like reference characters indicate like parts, l'designates a table or platform or other support for supporting a tank 2, which is also preferably supported by means of the brackets l. The

tank 2 is provided with a water'and air-tight lid or cover'l which is hinged at I to the arm I I, which also carries the counter-weight I to facilitate the opening and closing of the cover l. The cover 4 is provided with a safety valve 8 and a pressure gauge 9 and is secured in the closed position by any desired number of clamps 10 ii. In the bottom of the tank 2, I provide the heating coil II which is supplied with live steam through the inlet It, said coil also having an outlet I 4, In connection'with the heating coil it is to be understood that any other desired is heating element positioned within or without the tank may be used. It designates a drain valve which may be operated remotely, by the handle It. Within the tank 2, I position the superimposed baskets II and which are 20 adapted to receive the engine parts to be cleaned, such as the piston 2|, valve 22, cylinder block 23, etc. In connection with the baskets it and 2| it is to be noted, that a single basket suitably partitioned or without partitions may be used, if so desired. Surrounding the baskets ll and 2|, I provide one or more cooling coils 2t and 25 whichare supplied with cold water or other cooling medium through the inlet .valves 26 and 21 and which are provided with 30 the common outlet 28. The baskets II and 2| are also provided with suitable handles 2! to facilitate removal thereof from the tank 2. The baskets l8 and 2|! are supported within the tank 2 on any suitable perforated false bottom ll, suitably secured within the tank above the heating coil I2. With an apparatus such as I have described I carry out my method of removing carbon in the following manner:

The tank 2 is filled to the desired extent with water and a cleaning composition in the ratio of approximately 1 to 80.parts by volume. The cleaning composition I prefer to use, and which under actual test has given very highly satisfactory results, is composed of about seventy percent of ortho-dichloro-benzene, about nine percent of triethanol amine, and about twentyone percent of oleic acid. The composition is prepared in liquid form, and in charging the tank one part of this composition to about eighty of water is satisfactory. The parts to be cleaned are then positioned in the baskets ll2li and the cover 4 is clamped down. Steam is then turned on in the heating coil l2 (or other heatin'gelementmay be used)- until atemperature or three hundred to four hundred degrees 1''. is reached within the tank. The temperature causes the liquid contents of the tank to evaporate, thus building up a pressure within the tank which may range from twenty to eighty pounds per square inch. The parts to be cleanedare subjected to the desired degree of temperature and pressure for a period oi. from one to two hours. depending upon the nature as well as condition of the carbon deposit to be removed. After a sumcient time has elapsed the steam is shut oil and cold water is introduced through the inlets 2! and 21 into one or both of the coils 24-25, the purpose of the cold water circulating through the coils being more rapidly to cool the tank and to eitect condensation 01 the vapors therewithin to expedite the removal of the baskets from the tank.v When the tank has cooled sufliciently, the cover 4 is opened and the baskets II and 20 with their contents are removed by means of the handle '28. The carbon deposit now present on the parts 2|, 22, 28, etc., is in the form of asoit, plastic mass, in lieu of the hard, crusty substance which it was before being thus treated; The parts are then subiected to a spray of gasoline, kerosene, or other volatile hydrocarbon, under pressure of ninety to two hundred pounds. The parts are then wiped dry and are thoroughly clean and ready "tor inspection and reassembling.

It will thus be seen that I have devised a novel method and apparatus whereby the hard, firmly adhering carbon deposits on the surfaces of parts of internal combustion engines may be thoroughly, emciently, economically and expeditiously cleaned without many way damaging the parts or subjecting them to any wearor alteration.

It is to be understood that the method and apparatus herein disclosed are equally applicable to the removal of the heat-resisting varnishes with which engine parts subjected to excessive heat are usually coated.

I claim:

1. The method of removing carbon from engine parts which consists in placing said parts in .a basket. placing said basket in a pressuresaid tank, removing said parts and finally spray ing said parts witha volatile hydrocarbon under pressure.

2. The method of removing carbon from engine parts which consists in placing said parts in a pressure tank, submergi s said parts with a liquid iormed'oi one part or a solvent composition to eighty partsot water, said solvent composition comprising substantially seventy percent 0! ortho-dichlorobenzene, nine percent of triethanolamine and twenty-one-percent of oleic acid, applying heat to said tank to raise the temperature of said liquid and to develop a vapor pressure within'said tankrrapidly cooling said vapors to diminish the pressure -wi'thin.said tank, removing saidparts from said-tank, and finally spraying said parts with a hydrocarbon under pressure.

arcnann o. gunmen. 

